NRL finals 2021: Parramatta Eels beat Newcastle Knights 28-20
Despite a run of horror form to end the regular season, the Eels are now a serious threat for the premiership.
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Ivan Cleary’s Penrith Panthers will go into Saturday night’s sudden death showdown against arch rivals Parramatta under the most pressure.
That is the verdict from some of the NRL’s sharpest minds with Cooper Cronk, Shane Flanagan and Braith Anasta all convinced an upset could be looming in the wake of the Eels’ hard fought 28-20 victory over Newcastle.
While almost everyone is expecting the Panthers to bounce back from their shock loss to the Rabbitohs, the experts are not so sure in the wake of the rejuvenated Eels’ comeback win.
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The Knights led 10-6 in the countdown to halftime before Mitchell Moses turned the momentum of the match with a brilliant individual try.
That was almost immediately backed up with Blake Ferguson finishing off another that came after a flash of brilliance from young centre Will Penisini who produced a magical flick pass to send Ferguson touching down in the corner to give the Eels a 16-10 lead at the break.
Moses set up another second half try while the Eels middle forwards, led superbly by Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Ray Stone and Junior Paulo, played tough in what was at times brutal physical contest.
Though the Eels could be without Paulo who could be looking at a suspension after being placed on report for a dangerous shoulder to the head of Kurt Mann that looked very similar to the one that landed Sydney Roosters’ hooker Sam Verrills in trouble on Saturday.
Tough backrower Marata Niukore is also on report for a late tackle.
But the victory would have been another tremendous confidence booster for a team who a month ago were all but written off as genuine premiership contenders.
After losing four straight games the Eels have fought back with wins over North Queensland (32-16) and Melbourne (22-10) — their second victory of the season over the Storm — before Arthur rested most of his best players in the final round loss to the Panthers (40-6).
But this is going to be an entirely different contest with Cronk convinced it will be the Panthers now feeling the heat.
At the start of the season the expectation was that Brad Arthur needed the Eels to stand up in the finals to secure his long term future.
Under his coaching the Eels had only one win from six finals appearances prior to Sunday with their most recent victory that 58-0 flogging of Brisbane in week one of the play offs in 2019.
But their recent revival has created a new belief that anything could be possible this season, and now appears to be the time to be taking on the under siege Panthers.
“If (Parramatta) can beat Penrith and move on to a prelim that’s Brad Arthur, rock solid and done a great job,” Cronk told Fox League.
“Penrith on the other hand, they hardly ever lose a game. Lost the grand final. If they go out in straight sets, wow.”
Flanagan also said an upset was possible.
“South Sydney attacked their best players,” Flanagan said.
“They attacked their yardage man in (Brian) To’o. They got to him really quickly, got into his legs and actually took him backwards a couple of times.
“Parramatta just need to look at the way South Sydney approached defensively.
“Because all year we haven’t really rated South Sydney defensively but they were outstanding.
“So if Parramatta can have a similar performance like that they are definitely a chance.”
Braith Anasta also sees the pressure on the Panthers.
“They (Parramatta) have scored 28 points which is always good,” Anasta told Fox.
“Their key player and their best player and most influential player in Moses is in really good form and had some brilliant moments.
“And then you have got a side like Penrith who were really shell-shocked (on Saturday night).
“Yeah, they got beat but it was the way they got beat.
“What did they score, 10 points? Even that was a struggle.
“Do they start questioning their own ability?
“They have been such a confident team Penrith.
“So confident for the last two years and all of a sudden they come into a game that they were just expected to win (against Souths). It is as simple as that.”
Moses was outstanding on Sunday in what was for sure his best game of the season.
He has long been one of the NRL’s most maligned players and has copped it in the past for being a flat track bully.
But after a really strong performance in the recent win over the Storm, he backed that up against the Knights when his team really needed him.
Kalyn Ponga did all he could to try and get the Knights home but in the end he got beaten by a better team performance.
Poor old Mitchell Pearce had a game to forget but young Newcastle winger Enari Tuala had one to remember scoring a hat-trick.
CONTROVERSIAL CALL AS EELS BREAK FINALS DROUGHT
— Chris Honnery
A controversial penalty try has ended Newcastle’s season but kept Parramatta’s alive as the Eels finished 28-20 victors in an entertaining Sunday afternoon of football.
It came down to their wire in front of a sellout crowd at Rockhampton’s Browne Park with a Will Penisini penalty try in the 76th minute all but ending the Knights season.
Leading by just two points, the video referee ruled Penisini was taken out without the ball on his way towards scoring a try.
However, many pundits believe Clint Gutherson’s kick that led to the try may have been a knock on.
In the end, the Eels managed to overcome their horror finals record — losing six of their past seven games leading into Sunday’s game — to continue their campaign in a quest to ending their premiership drought.
Parramatta halfback Mitchell Moses was impressive, engineering a two-try blitz just minutes out from halftime which proved all the difference.
Newcastle coach Adam O’Brien refused to comment on the penalty try decision in his post-match press conference, saying “I’ll save myself some cash”.
But he admitted the real damage was caused in Parramatta’s two-try blitz leading into halftime.
“The two tries before halftime hurts more than that one (the penalty try),” O’Brien said. “We control that stuff before halftime. That’s what we need to get better and where we need to get to.
“You take care of those things and then the try at the end is not important.” O’Brien said the Knights were left heartbroken at having their season ended.
“We’re really disappointed,” he said. “We’ve got a shattered dressing room. They fought so hard and I’m really proud of them.
“We’d like to have the five minutes before halftime back again, we just switched off mentally and it cost us a couple tries.”
Should this have been a penalty try? 💬#NRLEelsKnights
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) September 12, 2021
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Meanwhile, Parramatta coach Brad Arthur refused to accept the penalty try was anything but a four-pointer.
“It’s a try,” Arthur said.
“If he picks the ball up, he scores, doesn’t he?”
Arthur said his side needed to be smarter next weekend when they face rivals Penrith in Mackay on Saturday night.
“When we’ve got them at 22-10, we need to nail those opportunities and just being smarter and having better footy awareness,” he said.
Electric Eels
It was only a matter of weeks ago Parramatta’s season was under heavy criticism but they’ve now advanced through to the second week of the finals to become a real threat.
Moses and winger Blake Ferguson combined to turn a 10-6 deficit into a 16-10 lead heading into halftime which knocked the wind out of Newcastle’s sails.
Ferguson backed it up again in the second half to stretch Parramatta’s lead out to 12 points which Newcastle was simply unable to make ground on.
Good Knight Newcastle
They were gallant in defence for a majority of the first half, especially on their tryline, but the relentless Parramatta attack finally broke through the line when Moses decided to run it.
Even when Parramatta ran out to a 12-point lead after the break, the Knights managed to hang in there until the death thanks to a hat-trick of tries from winger Enari Tuala — the first Newcastle player to do so in a finals match.
Nervous wait
Parramatta face a nervous wait at the NRL judiciary this week with a trio of players placed on report on Sunday afternoon.
Marata Niukore was placed on report for a late shot on a Newcastle player while left centre Waqa Blake could miss a week for his shot on Knights forward Tyson Frizell.
Junior Paulo’s shoulder to the head of Newcastle’s Kurt Mann will also come under the review of the NRL judiciary.
Blake (one try, 128 run metres), Niukore (114 run metres) and Paulo (120 run metres) would all be significant losses for the Eels who now face Penrith.
Newcastle’s Sauaso Sue was also placed on report for twisting Blake Ferguson’s ankle in a tackle.
25-YEAR FRIENDSHIP ON LINE IN SHOWDOWN
— Michael Carayannis
When Brad Arthur strode into Batemans Bay he did so on an apparent mistrust while Adam O’Brien knocked back an approach from Immortal Arthur Beetson to join the Roosters.
O’Brien and Arthur are as close as coaching rivals can be. From former teammates to living together in Cairns and Melbourne. O’Brien is the godfather of Arthur’s daughter Charlotte.
But long before they were facing off in an elimination final coaching the Eels and Knights respectively, the pair cut their teeth on the south coast of NSW.
It was a team which produced two first grade players, two NRL coaches and the father of a NRL player.
Arthur was given genuine superstar status when he was appointed captain-coach of the Batemans Bay Tigers ahead of the 1997 season.
“He lied about his age,” laughs former teammate turned NSW player Ben Cross, whose brother Matt was also in the side before playing in the NRL. The legend goes Arthur added about five years to his age so they could give him the job following a lower grade stint at Penrith.
Batemans Bay life member Roy Mills was secretary of the club at the time Arthur was appointed.
“He came to town full of beans,” Mills said. “Once we saw him play we knew he was a gifted footballer. He ended up hurting his knee really bad and even though he played on one leg he was still better than most.
“Brad was about three moves ahead of them all. People followed him around but they wouldn’t know what he was going to do next. He was forceful as a coach – it was shape up or ship out.”
Aside from Cross there was a young O’Brien who was coming through the ranks at the Tigers. Arthur and O’Brien pair bonded immediately with O’Brien awarded best and fairest during one of his two years under Arthur.
O’Brien eventually followed Arthur to Cairns after Arthur was appointed captain-coach of Cairns Brothers.
But O’Brien could have left the Tigers a lot earlier. Cross, who went on to play 95 top grade game matches and two games for NSW, recalled how O’Brien almost beat him into the NRL.
“The Roosters went through a real spate of injuries and Arthur Beetson came down to watch Adam play,” Cross said. “He had a contract for Adam to sign there and then but Adam just never wanted to pursue it. He wanted to win a competition with Batemans Bay before he moved off.”
O’Brien eventually won the title at the Tigers after losing three grand finals in a row. After their stint in Cairns, Arthur landed a job at the Storm and O’Brien soon followed. Cross was playing first grade at Melbourne.
He recalled one of Arthur’s first addresses when he arrived at Bateman’s Bay.
“He hit you right between the eyes,” Cross said. “He was coaching guys older than him but he was such a young and confident guy.
“On the field he was always blowing up at me. I wanted to try and rush out of the line and put big hits on everyone. The two of them were good mates from the beginning.”
Glen Wilton was also part of the Tigers outfit. He has watched son Teig play first grade for Cronulla against teams coached by his ex-teammates.
“They were both full of heart,” Wilton said. “They were uncompromising and very disciplined.”
WHY KNIGHTS ARE PRIMED FOR FINALS AMBUSH
- Nick Campton
Knights coach Adam O’Brien has been saying for weeks that Newcastle’s best football is still in front of them - and here’s the stats that prove it.
Ahead of the Novocastrians do-or-die finals battle with Parramatta in Mackay on Sunday, the Knights have gotten the equal fewest appearances out of their highest-paid players of any finals team this year.
Injuries have conspired to restrict Kalyn Ponga, Mitchell Pearce, David Klemmer and Tyson Frizell to a combined 64 appearances this season out of a possible 96, putting O’Brien’s side level with the injury ravaged Roosters.
It’s stopped the Knights from being sparkling in attack but the tough and gritty nature forged while they were undermanned is what gives O’Brien confidence they can spring an ambush on the Eels.
“We need to work hard for each other and I think that’s what got us through the back end of the year, that’s what got us through this position,” O’Brien said.
“It hasn’t been about flashy plays or beautiful looking shape, that’s obvious and everyone wants to comment about it, but what we have had is willingness to fight for each other and win the unwinnable.
“That’s what carries you in good stead for the finals. As a player you can live with anything - but if you don’t put in the effort that’s hard to live with.”
The Knights have been at full strength just once all season, for their Round 22 win over Cronulla that all but assured the club’s place in the finals.
By comparison, the Eels have enjoyed something of a dream run with their big four - Mitchell Moses, Clint Gutherson, Reagan Campbell-Gillard an Junior Paulo - playing in 82 of 96 matches, giving them the best value for money of any club.
With skipper Daniel Saifiti returning from a knee injury and David Klemmer needling up to take the field, they’ll be fully loaded for their first finals match against the Eels since the 2001 grand final.
“It’s been a long time coming. We’ve spoken a lot about the spine but getting our forward pack together is really important,” O’Brien said.
“We’ve missed Daniel and his experience, it’ll be good to have all those guys back on deck. We’ll have no excuses.”
Plenty has been made of Newcastle’s attacking struggles this year - only the last-placed Bulldogs have scored fewer points.
But the constant injuries and subsequent lack of cohesion has robbed the club of much of their attacking potency.
And according to Fox League’s Cooper Cronk, a new role for Kalyn Ponga, one that has him emulating the style of Tom Trbojevic and James Tedesco, has taken some getting used to for both player and club.
“It’s about getting Ponga in his favourite positions. He has a great strike rate when he’s two passes wide with straight shape outside of him, stretching the defence a little bit and letting him do his goose step, his left to right spiral pass that’s like a bullet,” Cronk said.
“He is great two passes wide on the left, but I know what Adam O’Brien is trying to do. He’s trying to do what James Tedesco and Tom Trbojevic are doing around the ruck at first receiver.
“It’s something they’re doing that’s new to Kalyn and new to Newcastle, but if he can get it right I think it’s a very good thing for them to do.
“I like the idea of it, it’s just about finding that right balance between having him around the ruck and getting him two passes wide.”
The Knights haven’t won a finals game since 2013 and were belted by South Sydney in their sole playoff game last year, a loss O’Brien says still fuels the side.
“I feel like there was such a relief that we made the finals and you’re always better for going through something once but looking back at our time last year I thought our energy levels weren’t where they are right now.
“That relief became enough for us. The hurt still lingers from that game, and I’d anticipate that drives us a fair bit.”
BANG FOR YOUR BUCK: How much value did your NRL team get out of your top four earners this season?
Eels – 82 (games out of a possible 96 games)
Mitchell Moses ($920,000) - 20
Clint Gutherson ($780,000) - 23
Reagan Campbell-Gillard ($750,000) - 18
Junior Paulo ($610,000) - 21
Titans - 82
David Fifita ($1,100,000) - 21
Ash Taylor ($960,000) - 16
Jarrod Wallace ($611,000) - 24
Tyrone Peachey ($564,000) - 21
Sea Eagles – 82
Daly Cherry-Evans ($1,175,000) - 22
Tom Trbojevic ($1,100,000) - 15
Jake Trbojevic ($900,000) - 20
Martin Taupau ($680,000) - 23
Raiders – 80
Jack Wighton ($846,000) - 21
Josh Hodgson ($705,000) - 20
Josh Papalii ($658,000) - 20
Joseph Tapine ($611,000) - 19
Rabbitohs – 79
Adam Reynolds ($1,000,000) - 22
Dane Gagai ($750,000) - 20
Latrell Mitchell ($750,000) - 17
Jai Arrow ($700,000) - 20
Storm – 77
Cameron Munster ($1,000,000) - 18
Jahrome Hughes ($700,000) - 22
Nelson Asofa-Solomona ($675,000) - 15
Jesse Bromwich ($660,000) - 22
Panthers – 73
Nathan Cleary ($940,000) - 16
Viliame Kikau ($635,000) - 23
Api Koroisau ($470,000) - 14
James Fisher-Harris ($400,000) - 20
Tigers – 70
Luke Brooks ($850,000) - 24
Moses Mbye ($815,000) - 22
Russell Packer ($750,000) - 1
Joe Ofahengaue ($650,000) - 23
Dragons – 70
Ben Hunt ($1,100,000) - 15
Jack Bird ($900,000) - 22
Corey Norman ($850,000) - 22
Jack de Belin ($750,000) - 11
Broncos – 68
Anthony Milford ($940,000) - 13
Matthew Lodge* ($752,000) - 12 of 15
Tevita Pangai Junior* ($682,000) - 15 of 17
Payne Haas ($517,000) - 20
Corey Oates ($517,000) - 8 of 18
Warriors - 65
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck ($1,000,000) - 17
Addin Fonua-Blake ($850,000) - 15
Matthew Lodge* ($752,000) - 6 of 9
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak* ($750,000) - 9 of 10
Tohu Harris ($700,000) - 15
Chad Townsend* ($520,000) - 3 of 5
Knights – 64
Kalyn Ponga ($1,000,000) - 14
Mitchell Pearce ($900,000) - 11
David Klemmer ($800,000) - 21
Tyson Frizell ($700,000) - 18
Roosters – 64
James Tedesco ($1,000,000) - 20
Luke Keary ($850,000) - 3
Angus Crichton ($720,000) - 18
Joseph Manu ($720,000) - 23
Bulldogs – 61
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak* ($750,000) - 9 of 12
Luke Thompson ($725,000) - 15
Dylan Napa ($650,000) - 18
Nick Cotric ($600,000) - 14
Josh Jackson ($600,000) - 5 of 12
Cowboys – 61
Michael Morgan ($940,000) - 2
Jason Taumalolo ($893,000) - 15
Valentine Holmes ($752,000) - 20
Jordan McLean ($658,000) - 24
Sharks – 39
Matt Moylan ($850,000) - 15
Andrew Fifita ($850,000) - 6
Josh Dugan ($850,000) - 8
Shaun Johnson ($800,000) - 10
*Players who were made mid-season club moves
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